Non-slipping tread.



F\ H. STANWOOD.

NON-SLIPPING TREAD.

APPLlcATloN FILED Nov. 3. 1914.

1,185,444. Patented May 30,1916.

5 vwd nto@ UNITED sTA'rEs PATENT oEEIcE.

FRANK .EL STANWOOD, OF ARLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR. TO STANWOOD l2E(!T.TI[IEME1\1"J. COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F MAINE.

NON-SLIPPING TREAD.

To all whom t may concern. a Be it known -that I, FRANK H.' STANwooD,

' a citizen of the United States, residing at runways, step treads and the like, the parsubstantial distance, whereV it is unsightly.,v

Arlington, Middlesex county, and State of fMassachusetts, havev invented'a new and 'useful Improvement in N on-Slipping Treads, of which the following .is a specification. y

This invention relates in general to nonslipping treads adapted for use `in tread or walking surfaces such as stairs, steps, walks,

ticular use of the invention however being Yin connection with automobile runningboards and other vehicles, although it will be manifest as the invention is better understood that" it' has a much wider and broader application.

Prior to my invention it has generally ...been the custom in automobiles to provide upon the running-board a" cocoa or other away for its reception, extends thereabove a ,'Ehis form of non-slipping and foot cleaning deviceis the source of considerable annoyance and inconvenience by reason of the fact that it is difficult to remove dirt, dust and other matter collected thereby, and by rea- .l son also of the fact that a person entering a j as car provided with such a mat is required to step higher' than the running-board, at considerable danger of tripping over-the mat in entering the car.

A principal object of this invention is the provision of a non-slip tread unit, the parts of which will be so constructed and arranged that the unit need not extend above the normal surface of the running-board an appreciable distance and which will last without the necessity of replacement from wear throughout the life of the ordinary high priced automobile.

Another and very important object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character described which will effectively remove mud and other foreignmatter from the feet of persons entering the car, the parts of the device being so constructed and arranged that the matter thus removed may readily in turn be removed from the device.

It is a further object of my present invention to provide a non-slip, tread surface forming unit, the parts of whichv can be readily assembled and shipped in assembled condition to automobile manufacturers,-

dealers, and, if desired, automobile owners,I ready to be installed in place upon fthe'running-board of the automobile with'minimum effort and with 'little or no chance of limproper positioning. I

An additional object-of the invention isthe provision of such a device consisting of a minimum number of simple and economically constructed parts requlring no special fitting or shaping inthe assembling of the structure, thereby permitting such parts to be separately manufactured of vstandard dimensions and readily fitted together without,

mediately located at the'damaged part, these units being so constructed and positioned that they may be readily removed undamaged and subsequently secured'upon a new running-board or upon a running-board replacing the one damaged.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a device with anti-friction and cleaning elements so constructed and arL ranged in the unit that damage sustained by the non-slipping portion ofthe unit' may be repaired at low cost and through the replacement of a minimum amount of antislipping and'cleanin'g material.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a non-slipping tread which, vwhile consisting of parts removable for repair and replacement, will be so constructed as to prevent any leakage of water, dust and other matter through the unit.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood Ifrom the following description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof..

The accompanying drawings, forming a' Specication of Letters Patent. Patented May 30, 1916, Application led November 3, 1914. Serial N o. 870,152. v

liti

F ig. l; Fig. 4,an elevation of the removable treadpad separated from its supporting or carrying plate; and Fig. 5, a cross section of a modified form of the tread-pad Vwith a portion of its supporting plate adapted thereto.

Y ln said figures: A, is the supporting or carrying plate and B, the tread-pads. rl`he plate A, is preferably formed of comparatively thin sheet metal such as steel, ein

'bossed, stamped or otherwise formed to pro,-

vide a downwardly extending bearing ledge vor .rim a, on all its sides for direct contact with the tread-supporting surface thus leaving an interior inclosure orv recess c, to be occupied by the foot portions of the tread-pads B, as hereinafter explained. The plate A., is perforated with suitably shaped holes each boundedv by' a surrounding upwardly extending continuous unbroken lip or wall d, forming comparatively high sides or walls tov the holes, greater in.

extent than the thickness of the plate,-when of sheet metal, would otherwise provide, to present a sidewise support, stay or brace to thev body ofthe tread-pads, impart rigidity thereto and prevent undue exing. Each of the tread-pads B, has a body or -rib shaped to conform to the shape of the holes or perforations in the plateA, and is of sufficient height to extend and project above the upper edges of the raised sides or walls d of the holes in the plate, to form, when -a number are assembled, a level or even exposed tread surface. The lower portion of each tread-pad is widened or eX- tended laterally to vprovide an enlarged foot e, which, when the pad is assembled with the plate is seated in the recess provided on yet be readily inserted and removed from the underside. rllhe widened foot portions e, of the tread-pads, obviously prevent their removal from the upper side and therefore there is no danger of their loss except by the bodily removal of the plate from the tread supporting surface, whatever it may be. rlhe plate will be provided with suitably dis posed screw or boltl holes f, for securing it in place to the supporting surface.

rllhe tread-pads B, are formed of some soft, eirible, pliable or yielding material such as soft rubber, felt, Scotch-cork or cacmeente tus fiber.. Pliable. rubber isxpreferred-be-` snow and dampness into va building, room,

booth or vehicle. .lnsteadf'of the foot of the tread-pad being of angular form it may obviously have other shapes', such as'the widening taper e', shown in Fig. 5. The useof rubber is thought vto be preferable'for- 'the forming of the tread-pads for the further reason that when the tread-pads are conm structed of this material they may be tted tightly in the holes through the plate A to thereby 'prevent waterfroin leaking 'through and rusting the under side of the plate A and also preventing dust and dirt from accumulating beneath the tread and also from accumulating betweenthe feet ofthe treadpads and the plate, A

lt will be manlfest from the foregoing that a tread-pad or tread uni-t embodying my invention may be constructed of-'parts manufactured in 'separate .establishments and readily assembled without auXilia-ry`fastening means for shipment to the' trade, the parts themselves having ample interengagement to prevent disconnection and conse quent loss or confusion, lt will befapparent also that inasmuch as the tread-unit consists of a single metal sheet provided with readily insertible, upwardly ve.l

eo i

ee y

eXtending-non-slip ribs, it need extend only an inappreciable distance above the running-board, a distance not sufficiently great to permit stumbling of persons entering' the car with their attention directed elsewhere. A. tread-unitl embodying my invention may be readily repaired should one `or more of the ribs become cut or broken through severe and unusual usage by merely removing the fastening screws from the apertures h and replacing the particular broken or damaged rib without other action, an inexpensive and readily performed operation.

ln providing a single, continuous, unbrohen, upwardly extending Hangs about each rib no sharp corners are provided rto out into and wear away the vmaterial of the ribn ilheseflanges are preferably provided by stamping up the material' of the plate. Where this ange is provided in this manner the curves at the end tend to clamp the ends of the ribs tightly when the ribs are inserted and in this manner aid materially in holding them in .place during shipment and positioning upon the running-board of the automobile. The embodiment of the inven tion just described is well calculated to remove a large part, if not all, of the dirt from the bottom of shoes of persons stepping thereupon and this dirt infalling in the open and smooth recesses between the ribs may be easily brushed or washed away.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and ar rangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invent-ion or sacrificing any of its materia-l adva tages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

l/Vhat is claimed is:

1. A non-slip tread-unit comprising a carrying plate provided with apertures each surrounded by a continuous, unbroken, upwardly extending, integral flange and pliable tread-ribs removably seated in said apertures and held in place by said flanges against movement either through or out of ribs being each surrounded by a continuous said apertures from beneath and frictionally l held in place and each having `base flanges extending oppositely from its portion'disposed through an aperture and engageable between said plate and the surface upon which it may be positioned.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of tWo subscribing witnesses.

y FRANK H. STANWOOD. Witnesses: i.

RENA E. FISH F. L. DALTON.

'Copies of this patent may be obtained for flve cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner o1 latenti' Washington, D. C. 

